


(not so) bitter work

by queerli



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Bending (Avatar TV), Blind Character, Canon Characters of Color, Canon Disabled Character, Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Gen, Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, Mental Health Issues, toph and zuko have the best adopted sibling relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-29
Updated: 2019-11-29
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:47:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21607792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queerli/pseuds/queerli
Summary: Hard times are more easily endured with friends.
Relationships: Toph Beifong & Zuko
Comments: 11
Kudos: 363





	(not so) bitter work

A gentle hand touched Zuko’s shoulder, rousing him from his uneasy dozing.

“Your friends asked after you, today,” Uncle said quietly, sitting with a creak on the edge of the bed. “They were worried.”

“I’m fine,” Zuko mumbled into his pillow. “Just tired.”

He’d been tired for weeks now. Months. No amount of sleeping ever seemed to lift the heaviness from his bones. But Uncle didn’t mention it, only smoothed back the hair on Zuko’s forehead with a gesture that was far more soothing than it had any right to be. 

“One of your friends is at the door,” Uncle said. “What would you like me to tell them?”

Reluctantly, with shaky arms, Zuko pushed himself upright and propped himself up against the pillows. “Someone came over?” He hadn’t even heard the front door open.

“A young lady. She was most insistent.”

 _Oh, what the hell._ “It’s fine. You can let her in,” Zuko sighed. When Iroh left the room, pulling the door shut – but not latched – behind him, Zuko stood up, and winced at the strain the action put on his still-asleep legs.

A familiar clacking came to his ears, followed by an even more familiar voice. “Oi, Sparky!”

White cane sweeping before her, Toph marched through his door like she owned the place, which wasn't all that different from her usual attitude. The cane tip tapped at Zuko’s feet; thus located, Toph approached him and gave him her usual greeting, i.e. a painfully friendly punch. 

“Still in pyjamas?” Toph said, raising an eyebrow. Zuko flushed, but before he could speak, Toph pouted and flung herself onto the bed with a dramatic _fwump._ “I wish you'd told me earlier! I would’ve brought my own pyjamas. We could’ve had a slumber party.”

Zuko sputtered, then huffed out a laugh. “Well, sorry for leaving you out of the loop, then,” he said. He carefully leaned Toph’s cane against the wall next to the bed while Toph rummaged through her backpack, eventually producing a sheaf of rumpled papers with a flourish.

“Here’s your homework,” she announced. “The paper’s all boring and flat, so it’s definitely yours. I would’ve done you a favour and not brought up schoolwork at all, but Katara forced me to give it to you.”

“Thanks, I guess,” Zuko said dryly, accepting the papers and skimming through them quickly.

“I betcha it’s math,” Toph said.

“It’s literature,” Zuko said. Toph scoffed.

“ _Bo_ ring. Give me a good old science class over that any day.”

“I like literature. Just wait until you get to eleventh grade and start taking physics or something. Wan Shi Tong is a hard marker.”

“Good thing I’ll be taking biology, then!” Toph shot back, sticking her nose in the air in mock offense. Zuko smiled despite himself and ruffled her hair. Then dodged a punch aimed at his shoulder with unerring accuracy, because _ow_. How could those tiny hands leave such painful bruises?

“Anyway, you have to hear the ridiculous stunt Twinkletoes tried to pull today in gym,” Toph declared, bouncing slightly on the mattress. “It was the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen him do, which is saying a lot. And I can’t even see!”

She told the story in her usual Toph fashion, with wild gestures and exaggerated retellings and surprisingly accurate imitations of both Aang and Jeong Jeong’s reactions. Zuko listened, and laughed along; and, slowly but surely, some measure of the heavy sluggishness in his bones melted away.

**Author's Note:**

> This week’s been difficult, mental health wise, but spending time with friends helped a lot.
> 
> Toph and Zuko are the best bros. :D I still wish they’d gotten their field trip in canon, but writing about them is just as fun.
> 
> My ATLA blog is @elimentals on tumblr, where I also post my fanfic.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading! Comments and feedback are always appreciated. <3


End file.
